IRL - Ireland’s senior men’s squad announced

DUBLIN (National Team) - The 2006 Senior Men’s Irish squad has been announced ahead of their first training camp in Ireland on July 24th. A Squad of 18 will prepare until the end of August where the final 12 will be announced prior to European Championships in September.
Phoenix Sun’s Pat Burke will make a welcome return to the Irish squad. However, Burke is not available for training camp in July but will join the squad in August for their preparation tournament.

Cal Bowlder will not return to the squad this year. He has decided to retire from basketball completely and is concentrating on family life and setting up a new property business in Virginia.

Jay Larranaga will not return to the squad either due to family commitments in Italy while Jim Moran is also unavailable to return to the squad this year.

However, the good news is that Dan Callahan, Marty Conlon (who will also assist in coaching), Mike Bree, Chris Bracey, Conor Grace, and Justen Naughton from last year’s squad will all return for the 2006 campaign.

Even more exciting is the addition of some familiar faces. Seven SuperLeague players have been signed up to the squad. Emmet Donnelly and Shane Callaghan of St. Vincent’s, Isaac Westbrooks and Kieran O’Brien of DART Killester, brothers Niall and Colin O’Reilly of UCC Demons and Eoin O’Brien of Gleneagle Lakers.

Pete Madsen of Reading Rockets in England and Robert Lynch of Limerick Lions both had to pull out of the squad due to work commitments.

Furthermore, 2006 will see the introduction of some new players. 24-year-old Baker Dunleavey of Villanova University will arrive in Ireland on July 23rd to join the squad.

Baker is one of three children born to former NBA head coach Mike Dunleavy. His father was a star guard at South Carolina before moving on to the National Basketball Association where he is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. He has two brothers, Michael (25), a former All-American at Duke, now with the NBA's Golden State Warriors, and James (17), both of whom are set to try out for the squad next year.

New Yorker Donnie McGrath, Canadian Liam Farrell, and Mike Williams from Connecticut will also enlist in the squad and attend training camp at the end of the month.

All eyes will be on Ireland’s newcomers this year and basketball fans around the country will be hoping the Ireland lads can but last year’s heartache behind them and look forward to a successful 2006 season.

Basketball Ireland